ELN TV

In what they say is a bid to cut red tape for ship owners while maintaining environmental standards, the ambassadors of EU member states have agreed to update existing EU rules and partially align them with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) global data collection system for ship fuel oil consumption.

As of 2019, ship owners are obliged to monitor and report under both the EU Monitoring, Reporting, Verification regulation and the global IMO Data Collection System.

The Council agrees it could reduce the administrative burden for shipping companies and national authorities by partly aligning the definitions, the monitoring parameters and the monitoring plans and templates of the MRV regulation.

However, it stresses the monitoring and reporting of cargo carried should remain compulsory, rather than being turned into a voluntary reporting element.

The Council has asked the Commission to review the functioning of the regulation and says it is now ready to start negotiations with the European Parliament.

Krista Mikkonen, Minister of Environment and Climate of Finland, said: “The maritime transport sector has to become more energy-efficient and use less fuel to contribute to our climate goals.

“We want companies and the general public to know how much fuel each ship uses. This means we will be able to compare ships’ emissions and choose more energy-efficient ones.”